The Ugly (2025 film)

Lim Yeong-gyu is a blind elderly seal-engraving master celebrated nationwide as a "living miracle" for producing beautiful work, with his son, Dong-hwan, handling most of the business' promotional aspects. As a television documentary led by Su-jin profiles Yeong-gyu's life and artistry, Dong-hwan learns that his mother, Jung Young-hee, whom he knew nothing of besides that she had abandoned the family when he was a baby, was in fact dead, her skeletal remains discovered at a construction site where it was buried for nearly forty years.

Dong-hwan and Su-jin become interested in learning more about Young-hee, whom is described by old acquaintances as a woman vilanous of character and incredibly ugly physically, nicknamed "Dung Ogre" and both reviled and mocked for her ugliness. Conversely, her story reveals a brave and kind-hearted woman, whom after discovering that a co-worker at the garment factory she worked at had been raped by Young-hee and Yeong-gyu's tyrannous chief Baek Ju-sang, confronted him, only to be fired and further abused by both co-workers and the rape victim herself, who resented Young-hee making the rape known. When Dong-hwan and Su-jin meet Baek in present times, he reveals that when he sent men to beat up Young-hee for speaking out, they found Yeong-gyu carrying and getting rid of her dead body, unaware that anyone was watching. An upset Dong-hwan takes away the footage Su-jin has recorded, but decides to face his father one-on-one.

When his son asks, Yeong-gyu admits to have killed his wife. He reveals how society's cruelty shaped his worldview through lifelong humiliation and resentment, leading him to endure constant mockery and avoid upsetting the social order. When he and Young-hee became close, their co-workers repeatedly told Dong-hwan that she was gorgeous and that he was a lucky man; however, the realization only after they were married with child that those words had been mockery all along turned him bitter, with his anger directed towards his wife, whom he felt deceived him. Although previously unaware of any of the issues Young-hee faced with Baek, Yeong-gyu was eventually invited by Baek, who made him drunk, told him that his wife has been troublesome and further humiliated him. That same evening, furious that she was now hindering his relation to his boss, Yeong-gyu strangled Young-hee to death in a fit of drunken rage, later disposing of the body.

Dong-hwan meets Su-jin to give her recordings back, but notes that he has deleted parts of it, implying that he has elected to conceal his father's crime and protect his public image.^[a] Disappointed with him, Su-jin hints that Dong-hwan is quite similar to his murderous father, and leaves after giving him what was believed not to exist: a photo of his mother, tucked away in Baek's collection. Left alone, Dong-hwan unveils the picture, realizing that his mother never looked nearly as hideous as others painted her to be, showing how distorted society's definitions of ugliness can be.

• Park Jeong-min as Lim Dong-hwan
  • Park Jeong-min also portrays the younger version of Lim Yeong-gyu, Dong-hwan's father
• Kwon Hae-hyo as Lim Yeong-gyu
• Shin Hyun-been as Jung Young-hee
• Im Seong-jae as Baek Ju-sang
• Han Ji-hyun as Kim Su-jin

The film was made with a production cost of ₩200 million.^[1] Actors Kwon Hae-hyo and Shin Hyun-bin, both of whom have previously collaborated with director Yeon Sang-ho, joined about 20 crew members for a three-week shoot that commenced in late July 2024.^[7][8] As part of Yeon's experimental low-budget approach, Park Jeong-min appeared in the film without receiving an appearance fee. In addition, the production team minimized expenses by foregoing location filming in favor of hastily built sets.^[9]

The Ugly had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2025 in Special Presentations.^[10][11]

In October 2024, the film was presented at the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), which is held in Busan, South Korea, in conjunction with the Busan International Film Festival.^[12]

The film was released on September 11, 2025 in South Korean theaters by Plus M Entertainment after its premiere at the festival.^[13][14]

The film is pre-sold to 157 countries worldwide, and is set to be released starting with North America and Taiwan on the 26 September.^[15]

It was screened in LEAFF Official Selection of the 10th London East Asian Film Festival on October 26, 2025.^[16][17]